Michael C. Burrows

May 15, 1926 - October 10, 2013

Michael C. Burrows of Palm Beach Florida, formerly of Newton, on Thursday, October 10, 20l3. Devoted father of Susan Miller & her former husband Butch, Wendy Price & her husband Michael, Peter Burrows & his wife Wendy, and Michael Bruce. Loving grandfather of Max, Carly, Tucker, Jenny, Ben, Nina, Ari, Annie, Branson, and Corbin. Dear brother of the late Barbara Burrows. Services at the Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline on Sunday, October 13 at l2 noon. Interment at Temple Israel Cemetery, 492 North Ave., Wakefield. Memorial observance at the home of Wendy & Michael Price, following the interment through 7pm.In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, 501 South Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401 or the Society of the Four Arts, 2 Four Arts Plaza Palm Beach, FL 33480.

Mike Burrows, prominent builder of dozens of homes and luxury apartment buildings in Palm Beach and devoted supporter of the arts, passed away on Oct. 10 of natural causes. "Mickey" was born in Newton, MA in 1926. He attended Harvard University and, after serving proudly in the U.S. Navy in World War II, Harvard's Business School. Arriving in Palm Beach in 1954, he quickly earned a reputation for his tasteful, top-quality homes, before moving on to apartment buildings that still dominate the beachfront of downtown Palm Beach. All are named after dorms at Harvard, including Winthrop House and Kirkland House. A courageous businessman, Burrows built all of buildings "on spec", without a buyer lined up, so as to maintain the freedom for creative expression he loved. Burrows was writing a book tracing his experience in Palm Beach over the decades when he died, including run-ins with lingering anti-Semitism in the community. When a young family member who'd been invited to dine at one of the restricted clubs in Palm Beach was asked to leave, Burrows, who chaired the Anti-Defamation League's Palm Beach chapter for five years, wrote letters and worked quietly and optimistically to apply pressure that resulted in the elimination of these "Guest Rules." "How sad it is that at that Club I can be invited to the wedding, but cannot have lunch with the bride," he wrote in an letter to the Palm Beach Post.A gifted athlete, Burrows shot his age in golf countless times in his 80s. He was a passionate fisherman, Red Sox fan and ice cream aficionado. He died in his apartment, surrounding by the eclectic art collection he so enjoyed, with a view of Palm Beach and the buildings he was so humbly proud of.